Adam Leitman Bailey, P.C. Saves Harlem Businesses From Eviction

One of the largest real estate developers in the United States, Kimco Realty, sent termination and demolition notices to the business owners who worked in Harlem’s longest building. All of the commercial tenant’s leases either had expired or had demolition clauses allowing the developer to evict the commercial tenants.

The building in question was one block west of the cultural epicenter of Harlem on world-famous 125th Street, home of numerous institutions key to African American culture, notably the Apollo Theatre. Each of the tenants was either a traditional Harlem business or one that had given up opportunities to be in the more famed sections of Manhattan so as to strengthen the sense of community in Harlem, particularly amongst African-Americans.

Realizing that the small business owners, could not rely on the law, Adam Leitman Bailey gave birth to the Save Harlem Association.

“The Save Harlem Association, composed of neighborhood business owners, says the project threatens the black heritage of 125th Street.” This building is Harlem’s last stand and its people are rallying around this case to save the civil and social center of the black world — Harlem USA,” said Adam Leitman Bailey, the attorney representing Save Harlem.

Land Use Litigation Victory: Using Victory in Court, Proposing Legislation, Conducting Rallies, and Mobilizing Political Support and Media Attention, Save Harlem Association Obtains Winning & Avoids Settlement

Land Use Litigation Victory: Using Victory in Court, Proposing Legislation, Conducting Rallies, and Mobilizing Political Support and Media Attention, Save Harlem Association Obtains Winning & Avoids Settlement
One of the largest real estate developers in the United States, Kimco Realty, sent termination and demolition notices to the business owners who worked in Harlem’s longest building. All of the commercial tenant’s leases either had expired or had demolition clauses allowing the developer to evict the commercial tenants. The building in question was one block west of the cultural epicenter of Harlem on world famous 125th Street, home of numerous institutions key to African American culture, notably the Apollo...
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Harlem Businesses Settle Suit Against Kimco

Harlem Businesses Settle Suit Against Kimco
The Real Deal
By: Lauren Elkies July 3th, 2008 Five small displaced Harlem business owners have settled their lawsuit against Kimco Realty, one of the country’s largest shopping center developers, and its partner the Sigfeld Group, attorneys said. Although the businesses still must close by September 30, a settlement was reached last week in New York State Supreme Court for an undisclosed sum of money. Sources said the case was settled for more than $1 million. The developers bought the sprawling two-story property...
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“Adam Leitman Bailey Has Represented Several Small Minority Business Owners in the Area Faced With Eviction Proceedings, Earning Him a High Degree of Both Trust and Respect from Even the Harlem Community’s Most Cynical Residents”

“Adam Leitman Bailey Has Represented Several Small Minority Business Owners in the Area Faced With Eviction Proceedings, Earning Him a High Degree of Both Trust and Respect from Even the Harlem Community’s Most Cynical Residents”
New America Media
By: Glenn Minnis August 22, 2011 For the better part of three decades, Sikhulu Shange tirelessly labored within the often challenging confines of the only home he’s known since arriving here in the States as a 20-something-year-old South African immigrant nearly 40 years ago, only to one day awake to be told he no longer has a place within that very community. There was a time when Bobby Robinson – who, like Shange, once owned a small record store at the...
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Will Harlem Lose Its Soul?

Will Harlem Lose Its Soul?
In The Fray Magazine
By: Will Bredderman August 3rd, 2008 Like most other Harlem eateries, Manna’s Eighth Avenue location presents little to look at: it’s a standard two-floor affair, with the food on the first level and seating upstairs. The restaurant occupies the southernmost end of a low-rise building between 125th and 126th Streets: a red-brick edifice running almost the entire length of the block’s western edge and comprising several other establishments, all local businesses. Just inside the entrance hangs an ornate crystal chandelier,...
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Work screeches to a halt on Kimco’s Harlem development

Work screeches to a halt on Kimco’s Harlem development
Real Estate Weekly
By: Jason Turcotttte February 20th, 2008 Work has come to a screeching halt for Kimco Realty’s development on Harlem’s 125th Street. Up in arms over the displacement of 16 businesses, a neighborhood group has taken the matter to court, in an effort to stop demolition of the existing buildings there. Kimco, the largest owner and operator of shopping complexes in the country, plans to redevelop the property into a four to six-story building offering both office space and retail. But...
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NYers head to court to save their business

NYers head to court to save their business
News Day
By: David Freedlander February 6th, 2008 Fighting to stay in their century-old Harlem home, a group of commercial tenants has taken their case to State Supreme Court just days after the building’s demolition was stayed. The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Harlem Tenant Association, alleges that Kimco Realty, a multi-billion dollar developer of mini-malls, has broken lease agreements with several tenants to force them out. “If our neighborhood just becomes a mall, the cultural piece of it will not...
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Zoned Out: High-rises on 125th Street? Harlem’s transformation gathers speed

Zoned Out: High-rises on 125th Street? Harlem’s transformation gathers speed
The New York Times
By: Maria Luisa Tucker December 4th, 2007 The mounting tension over uptown gentrification, amplified by Columbia University’s planned expansion, is threatening to erupt as a new plan seeks to reconfigure the very heart of Harlem. The city has proposed a major rezoning to 125th Street Harlem’s main commercial thoroughfare that could have a drastic impact on the character of the historically African-American area. The street is now a mix of locally owned small businesses, large retail outlets like Old Navy...
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